Cooling or heating pads are well known in the art and have been used for therapeutic procedures for many years. Currently available cooling or heating pads typically require prior refrigeration/freezing or heating/warming of the pad, as the case may be, and can require more than one pad so that a “reserve” pad can be refrigerated/frozen (“cooled”) or heated while another is in use. In addition, such pads typically use bulky materials which prohibit free mobility of the injured area and can be uncomfortable to wear during normal activities.
Cooling or heating pads in the prior art generally employ a gel or similar material to retain externally-generated cold or heat, whereby the cooled or heated pad is placed within the source of cold or heat (e.g., refrigerator/freezer or oven, such as a microwave oven) and is removed from the cold or heat source so that it can be applied to an intended area of the body in need of treatment using cold or hot temperatures.
The prior art, and the disadvantages thereof, is discussed here in the context of cool or cold packs and therapy but, as would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, apply equally to heat or hot-packs and therapy. For example, a common method of alleviating pain or swelling after a surgical procedure or accidental injuries is to use a cold compress, using an ice bag, a bag of frozen peas, or snow-type freezer packs to be wrapped around or applied to the affected area. Currently available cooling pads require pre-cooling or pre-freezing of the pad whereby the pad is physically placed within the cold source prior to use.
Other cooling devices utilize cold liquid to circulate around the affected area and require tubes carrying the liquid to be continuously connected to the device whereby use of the device is inconvenient and bulky.
Moreover, bulky cooling pads or cold packs are limited as to their applicability to certain parts of the body. For example, specific areas of the face, such as the brow or nose, generally require the pad or pack to cover the whole, general area and cannot provide a truly moldable device which substantially conforms to areas of the body which are not easily enwrapped.
A pad which is pre-cooled or frozen generally adapts its shape to the environment of the cold source. For example, even a flexible ice pack, when frozen, is generally defined by the shape of its outer container. When placed in a freezer, ice packs are typically formed in a generally rectangular shape with generally flat faces for contacting the body. Although they can be frozen in a particular or pre-formed “curved” shape, it is well recognized that the curvature only generally mimics the shape of the body at the site of application and does not mold to the specific contours as would be desired.
The previously available processes, though effective, are inconvenient and can limit mobility of the person due to the weight or bulkiness of the ice or cooling pack. None of the previous devices known to the inventors can provide cold therapy “on demand” without requiring removal of the pad to replace cold or hot temperatures, and without the use of bulky materials or requiring continuous circulation of liquid through the device during use.
Thus, what is needed is a flexible or moldable cooling or heating pad device and system that can efficiently provide cold or heat to a specific area of the body. Preferably, this desired action is achieved by a system comprising a pad that can be “charged” with cold or heat at the time of use and at the site of use so that the pack does not require extended periods of time to cool down or become frozen, or to warm up to a desirable temperature before use. Neither would such system require removal of the pad for re-cooling, re-freezing, or re-heating following dissipation of the therapeutically effective cold or hot temperature after a period of time.
Moreover, what is needed is a system which can provide a “re-chargeable” pad which can be re-cooled or re-heated during use without requiring connection to an external source or generator of cold or hot temperatures. Thus, a pad and system providing an external source of cold or heat which is connected to the pad temporarily, only to provide cold or heat to the pad, and then is disconnected from the pad during use, advantageously provides greater mobility and ease of use to and for the user of such pad and system.
These advantages, as described herein, as well as other advantages that would be recognized and appreciated from this disclosure, are achieved by the subject invention which overcomes the disadvantages and inconvenience of cold and heat packs known or currently available in the art.